Losing the C section shelf

[NewquayPier]

First post here! Anyone trying to lose (or has succeded in losing) their C section shelf and get a flatter stomach?
If so what sorts of exercises are you doing?
My DD is 8 months. I go back to work in April and wear a uniform and I really don’t want to get a bigger one so i’m on a weight loss and get fit journey.
I’m about 17kg overweight and BMI of 30, so obese apparently. I’ve had 2 sections and 2 surgeries on my tummy area so it’s a bit of a mess down there!
I have checked with Dr and post natal pilates instructor and I don’t have any separation of muscles. I’ve been doing post natal pilates for the last 4 months and i’m ready to start something more difficult. I could do with some tips please!

Here it is in all it’s glory 🤣

I am following with interest, until my last baby I didn’t have a shelf really, or only ever so tiny. And in fairness yours is very slight. Now mine is very bad but bearing in mind my weight and my previous weight I assume it’s just weight? Lose the weight lose the shelf? I don’t know. I was a runner and that helped but again I think that was just reducing calories than doing anything for my tummy.

FWIW, I’d love a little tummy like yours!

Hopefully we can get some tips to
lose it together. At the moment i’m eating about 1/3 of what I was when I was breastfeeding when I ate ALL the food, several packets of biscuits a day, loads of chocolate and sweet stuff, HUGE portions, easily 5000 calories a day. I’m doing a few HIIT workouts and some bodyweight strength stuff with bands. I used to run too, 1/2 marathons, but that was when I was 9st6 - a distant memory! I’ve been reading about the belly being the hardest area for women to slim and you have to reduce your body fat elsewhere before it starts to shift.

I'm sorry ladies but it won't go

What you see there is tethering of tissue which can only be rectified by surgery
Anyone who tells you otherwise is deluded

You can minimise it through weight loss, mine would look better if I was slimmer
But any weight gain and it looked awful

Embrace it or start saving for TT

I have avoided shelves after two sections by wearing a compression band. Obviously I have done exercise, eaten well and kept my body fat low too, but I credit the band with the absence of a shelf. It’s best worn from the beginning, but they can help for years after. I used Belly Bandit first and then Mammabump. The second was better and more comfortable.

Quite agree. I'm 61 ...30 years since last cs huge overhang. Again when I'm good weight it's not too bad.

Yep. I'm not overweight, pretty fit and although I'm not the most toned in that area it's not too bad but I still can't shift it.

It drastically dips in where I've been stitched back up.

I managed to shift mine completely but only by getting back to my pre-dc1 weight!

My BMI is 21 and my shelf looks very similar to yours OP. The only way I’ve ever lost it is by going down to 18/19 and it’s actually still there then, but because they is hardly any fat it isn’t noticeable with clothes on. You just need to learn to sort of “dress it” with the right clothing.

I’ve lost a stone and I’m now a size 8-it’s still there sadly.

I understand it as tethering of tissue too but understand that the appearance of it can be bettered by regular massage to make the tethering more mobile.

It's on my list alongside weight loss & exercise but I'm lacking in motivation, still. I think a full night sleep would help 💤

Have a look on YouTube for a C-section massage video and get yourself a nice cream or oil.

It’s not all fat so it’s hard to get rid of. Mine looks as good as it ever will without surgery but it’s not gone completely. Losing weight did make it look better

@MikiSu Thats interesting. Was it pitely diet or did you do specific exercises to help with the weight loss?

I try to embrace mine, it's there whatever size I am. It's a small price to pay for my kids.

Also, it's really not that noticeable unless I'm naked.

A small update for those that are interested. I have lost 1 1/2 stone so far and 4 inches from my waist. The fat is definitely going down, so things are going in the right direction. I am now back in my pre DC1 jeans which is a real achievement and i’m feeling much better about myself. The shelf is smaller but still there for now. I’ll continue with the daily exercise and update again in a month or two to let you all know if the ‘shelf’ is shifting!

I had my c-section 16 years ago and despite losing all the baby weight my shelf has never gone. No one told me about support pants or massaging the scar so it’s all way too late for me. I hate the way my body looks but if I hadn’t had the Caesarian both me and my baby would have died, so that puts it into perspective. Maybe I should treat myself to a TT?

Well done @NewquayPier I’ve started on 16/8 but still not lost anything.
I may need to start running again soon to kick start it!

Slight tangent but I never had a C section and I am not overweight (BMI 23) but I still have a little shelf. I think it’s due to stretched tummy skin - I had big bumps, skin went back fine after both babies but then sagged in my 40s.

Not sure anything will fix mine bar a tummy tuck. But it doesn’t bother me enough for that.